Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515076
A lot of confusion seems to be raging right now, over that recent incident in which the Broadcasting Authori- ty slapped RTK Radio with a E1,750 fine, for the grave crime of… … well, that's more or less the source of all the confusion, right there. What the heck was RTK even fined for, anyway? Almost a full week after the event, it still remains impossi- ble to answer that with any cer- tainty. At first, media reports suggested it was because An- drew Azzopardi – who hosts a talk-show on RTK – described Norman Lowell as 'racist' on one of his programmes. But let's face it, folks: if this were indeed the case, then the BA may as well as start fining talk-show hosts for declaring things like: 'The sky is blue!', or 'the sea is wet!'… because – as Azzopardi quite rightly points out – there really isn't any other way to describe Norman Lowell's politics, apart from 'racist and xenophobic'. Oh, OK. Lowell himself might prefer using the term 'racialist' instead. But: a) that word doesn't technically exist, in the English language; and b) beyond the addition of three extra letters, between 'race' and 'ist'… it doesn't change the core identity of Lowell's politi- cal 'vision', one tiny bit. Indeed, the very first sen- tence on Imperium Europa's website is: "Our aim is that Malta, this Sacred Island of Melita, this land of honey, will be the first liberated nation in the whole, WHITE [my em- phasis] World - liberated from the enemy within, and the ene- my without." That, alone, is already enough to classify Norman Lowell firmly in the 'White Suprema- cist' (hence 'racist') category… even without all the countless other occasions where the man himself made his inher- ently xenophobic views widely known, in public. Ironically, the BA itself should know a thing or two about this… given that the same authority has on various occasions been known to fine television stations for actual- ly ALLOWING Lowell to air those racist views, on live TV! Got that, folks? The same BA that now censures RTK for de- scribing Lowell as 'racist', also has a history of censuring ra- dio and TV stations for doing the very opposite. Seriously, though. How much sense can that possibly even make (out- side the realm of pure 'surreal- ism', of course)? But wait, this is where things start getting a whole lot more… well, 'confusing'. For in a subsequent press release, Imperium Europa contested that interpretation of events: arguing that the fine was NOT imposed over the 'racist' re- mark… but because of another comment made by Azzopardi on the same programme. Namely, that Norman Low- ell "stands no chance of being invited [to Azzopardi's show], not even if he chains himself to the door." This, Imperium Europa tells us, "amounts to defying and challenging an of- ficial of the Authority to her face, in public, regarding the observance of those directives issued by the Broadcasting Au- thority during electoral cam- paigns. Prof. Andrew Azzo- pardi adamantly stated that he would not respect them." Now: admittedly, this does change the landscape just a ti- ny bit, with regard to that BA fine. For one thing, because it is perfectly true [note: whether it SHOULD be true, is another question altogether] that the Constitution insists on "due impartiality [being] preserved in respect of matters of polit- ical or industrial controver- sy […]; and that broadcasting facilities and time are fairly apportioned between persons belonging to different political parties." Meanwhile, it is equally true that – according to a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court – the above obligation applies to ALL Malta's broad- casting media; and not just to those owned and operated by the State. But this only raises literally dozens of other unanswered questions… starting with the fact that – unless I am very much mistaken – the cam- paign for the 2024 MEP elec- tions has not actually begun, yet; and will not begin, until around 12 weeks before the election date itself. In other words: there are still a good four months to go, be- fore the MEP election cam- paign kicks off in earnest. And this also means that – right now, as we speak – private sta- tions like RTK are under no obligation whatsoever, to ob- serve (in Imperium Europa's own words) "directives issued by the Broadcasting Authority DURING ELECTORAL CAM- PAIGNS". And besides: how, might I ask, can the Broadcasting Au- thority be so very certain that RTK will NOT actually 'give airtime to Norman Lowell', when the time comes? Think about for a second. Un- less the BA takes its decisions by looking into a crystal ball… there is simply no way in Hell the authority can decide, from now, that RTK will indeed be guilty of breaching its 'elector- al campaign directives'… four whole months before the cam- paign even gets under way. Even less, when you consid- er that – again, unless I am much mistaken – the above comment was uttered, not by anyone representing the own- ership/management of RTK radio itself… but simply by one of that station's many 'guest talk-show hosts' (who doesn't maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JANUARY 2024 10 OPINION Impartiality in political broadcasting? Not even possible, I'm afraid… Raphael Vassallo The same BA that now censures RTK for describing Lowell as 'racist', also has a history of censuring radio and TV stations for doing the very opposite